Broken Glass

by Sally Grindley

Dans l'Inde d'aujourd'hui, deux enfants quittent leur village natal la recherche d'une vie meilleure. Mais la ville est seme d'embches. Un parcours initiatique qui les fera grandir trs vite.

Genres: Childrens, India, Fiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published February 4, 2008

About the author

I came into children's books originally as Editorial Director of a nationwide children's book club, though I had written and directed a children's play while a student at Sussex University, which was performed at the Edinburgh Fringe. I wrote my first two children's picture books in 1984 and was lucky enough that Anthony Browne wanted to illustrate the second - Knock Knock Who's There? It was published in 1985, is still going strong today and is one of my most successful.

Shhh! was published in 1991 and has known great success in France/Belgium in particular (close on 300,000 copies sold). It's success in the UK - it won the Children's Book Award - was hampered by the liquidation of its original publisher.

I became a full-time author in 1995 and now have some 150+ titles published, the most recent being L'Histoire du Soir in France, Belgium and Italy.

Feather Wars, published in 2003, was my first sortie into young fiction and was followed by the very successful Spilled Water, which has been published in some ten different languages and is very popular in schools as a class reader. It won the Nestle Smarties Gold Award (and I wound up being a 'Pointless' answer on the back of it!) Broken Glass came next and was a Sunday Times Book of the Week.

I'm currently working on picture books again and have plans to illustrate one of my own in the not too distant future - watch this space!

Reviews

[Martina · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a brilliant book that highlights the difficulties that children living on the streets have to face and it is really eye opening.

[Yasmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up because it's a young adult title that deals with a difficult subject: street children in India. The book didn't disappoint. It's a quick read, realistic but not depressing.

[Hanzie]

Thought the book was absolutly fab had a great time reading it.

[Gethana · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent.it's set in sri lanka

[zoe ✨️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

BORING!!!!!!!!!!
I had to read it for school its just boring

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite good not my usual choice but am wondering if there is a sequel or a book similar with more detail on maybe Vikas or one of the other kids???

[Lucia Ronanova]

Pre-reading for my daughter to make sure it's suitable. I enjoyed it but would prefer a definite happy ending...not just assuming that it will work out.

[Vivaan]

Good

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two runaway brothers trying to make it on their own make money by picking broken glass out of rubbish in a big city in India. This is their story.

"Broken Glass" is a story about two brothers Suresh, 12, and Sandeep, 9 (roughly). At the beginning of the story, we learn they are from a somewhat well-to-do family where their father has a steady job at the train station and they have a nice home in a nice neighborhood with nurturing parents. The boys are even able to go to school, which is not the case for other kids in their town.
It all comes crashing down when their father gets laid off and has trouble finding another job. To top it off, their grandmother (father’s mother) dies, so he is also dealing with some grief. Appa starts drinking and becomes physically abusive towards his wife and sons. Big brother Suresh decides to run away from home with Sandeep to protect them both from their father’s hurtful hand. From the moment they run, Suresh has no idea what he’s doing or where he’s going, but despite the stress of it, he tries to remain strong for his little brother.
Eventually, they “settle” in a big city and find a little “island” to sleep on and lay their stuff. Suresh, being only 12 years old, cannot find a proper job. He and his brother are starving, so he finds a way to make money with several other street kids by picking pieces of glass to sell. They are trained in this by Vikas, who more or less becomes a friend to them. The entire book these boys struggle to feed themselves and consider going back home, but ultimately, towards the end of the novel, they are given a glimpse of hope that somewhat indicates that things are turning around for them where they’re at.
I really liked how Suresh was written as this smart, strong willed boy who is determined to make it on his own and provide a better life for him and his brother. That determination carried him through the whole novel, even when he was considering giving up. I think it is great how he stood up for himself even when it meant losing the little income he and his brother had. It’s like he knew something better would come along and it did! There was a moment when I thought Sandeep had some character growth as well. Most of the time he and Suresh were on their own, Sandeep complained and was immature, but there was one moment where he encouraged his brother to let go of the anger over something bad that happened and I thought that was growth for this character. Overall, the best part of this story was how the two main characters grew through adversity.
I was surprised at the plot of the story. Based on the synopsis on the back cover, I was expecting it to start after they were already homeless, but I would say the first ⅓ or so of the book was describing the life they had with their parents and how great it was. I felt a bit misled while reading it and that led to some disappointment, to be honest. Also, I was a bit disappointed that the story didn’t leave off on them reuniting with their mother, although the author does leave that open to interpretation. What is different about this book, that makes me give it three stars instead of four is the ambiguous ending. I as the reader was not guaranteed that these two boys were on their way to a better fortune by the last events in the story, though again, it is implied that is a strong possibility for them. But my practical brain is saying it was not a guarantee. So, I praise Ms. Grindley for leaving us on such an unclear ending….it was gripping!
Overall, this was a good story about being independent, staying determined and hopeful through adversity and uncertainty and the importance of sticking with family and being honest.
For me, it was the overall plot compared to how it was described in the book versus how it actually panned out that is my reasoning for the score of 3 stars.

[Anna Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slow moving story at times, this book does an excellent job of highlighting the challenges and dangers faced by India’s street kids. The story follows Suresh and Sandeep as they make the decision to leave home due to their father’s violence and take to surviving on the streets of a big city. On one hand, I’d like to see a sequel, to learn what happens next to these two resilient boys. On the other, it’s quite nice that authors don’t feel the need to wrap stories up neatly. Themes of domestic violence, poverty, and resilience.

[Areeb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Broken Glass by Sally Grindley is a deeply moving and unforgettable read. The novel explores the life of street kids in India and their hidden struggles. Grindley’s writing is both sensitive and evocative, capturing the emotional nuances of her characters with remarkable clarity.

The story unfolds in a way that is both compelling and heartbreaking, with moments of tension and reflection that linger long after the final page. Themes of honesty, courage, and the consequences of our choices are woven throughout, making the book very thought-provoking.

[Shar · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. It was slow-paced but I did enjoy it at times. The ending could have been better, in my opinion. I thought the author just hurriedly ended the story. Nevertheless, a good choice for a quick, light read.

[elle · Rating 2 out of 5]

i hated this it was so depressing, i read it in year six. its undoubtedly good quality and it opened my eyes to the homelessness and poverty in India but it was really upsetting

TW- domestic violence, police brutality, suffering

[Hannah Wyatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book 📖

[JARUBA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bruh this book was cracked! totally bussing dude

[Miette · Rating 3 out of 5]

When there are so many people who are forced to live on the streets, it is a little soft to have these 2 boys leave home when their circumstances are not that dire compared to others. But I suppose it makes it a little more suitable for kids.

[SalScamander · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good and interesting book. But I wish there was more to the ending, andwe got to see if suresh got the job or not, and wheather they finally found somewhere better to sleep.

[Willow]

Taught me a lot more of hardship

[hollie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not what I would go out of my way to read but v good